Lockheed Martin announced today that it will host the 10th edition of its India Suppliers Conference on September 11-12, 2024 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Bengaluru. The two-day conference will be inaugurated by Priyank Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology, Government of Karnataka. Christopher W. Hodges, Consul General of the United States of America in Chennai will also be gracing the inauguration of the Conference.

The conference will provide a platform to drive conversations around building indigenous defence industrial capabilities that integrate MSMEs and fuel 'Make-in-India' partnerships for the future, with a special focus on innovative solutions to not just meet the needs of the Indian Armed Forces but also to feed into the global supply chain, in line with national priority to accelerate defence exports.

"We are excited to host the Suppliers Conference for the tenth year running and facilitate interactions between current and prospective defence & aerospace industry partners in India. The 2024 Suppliers Conference will offer Indian suppliers a platform to interact with our global partners and access new business opportunities, making India's defence manufacturing ecosystem stronger," said Michael Fernandez, India Country Head, Lockheed Martin.

"Hosting the Conference complements our vision of building and nurturing partnerships with the Indian industry. We are aligned with the vision our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shared of 'Make in India, Make for the World'. It will give an opportunity to the local aerospace and defence manufacturers to meet with the Supply Chain team of Lockheed Martin to understand the opportunities that exist domestically and internationally," Fernandez added.

The key highlights of the conference will include:

• Presentations by Lockheed Martin business area representatives.
• Recognition of Indian Suppliers for their Outstanding Contributions.
• In-person meetings with Lockheed Martin Supply Chain and Business Development team members.
• Indian MSMEs to showcase their portfolios and capabilities.

The conference will bring together senior Lockheed Martin leaders from across four business areas - Aeronautics; Missiles and Fire Control; Rotary and Mission Systems; and Space, supply chain, industrial development, and business development teams. The event will also have participation from the company's global Tier-1 suppliers. Key representatives from the State Government and US Consulate will attend the event along with Indian and global industry leaders.

The ninth edition of the Suppliers Conference, held in 2022, saw more than 60 Indian companies of all sizes-large, MSMEs and start-ups- participating in the conference and receiving the opportunity to showcase their capabilities to all four business areas of Lockheed Martin and international partners like GE Aviation, Honeywell, L3Harris Technologies, Raytheon Technologies, THALES and Elbit Systems among others. More than 250 delegates attended the event and over 100 business to business meetings were organized to explore partnership opportunities.

Lockheed Martin continues to build upon its more than seven-decades of association and three-decades of partnership with India, nurture and expand collaborations with local industry to support the growth of indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem, and further advance India's strategic security and industrial capabilities.